Latest revision as of 11:55, February 26, 2012

The Most Reverend Metropolitan Vasilios (Karajiannis) of Ammochostos is the Metropolitan of Constantia and Ammochostos of the Church of Cyprus.

Life

Metr. Vasilios was born on March 1, 1948 in the village of Mandres of the district of Ammochostos on the island of Cyprus. After he finished his basic education in 1960, Vasilios joined the brotherhood of the Monastery of the Apostle Barnabas and was tonsured a monk with the name Vasilios. He lived at the monastery until the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974.

In 1967, he began his theological education at the Seminary of the Apostle Barnabas from which he graduated in 1970. He continued his studies at the A'Gymnasium for Males in Ammochostos, graduating in 1974. Then, he continued his theological studies at the Theological Faculty of the University of Athens, graduating in 1978. Following his graduation, he began his post-graduate studies at the University of Frisburgh in Switzerland, taking two year courses of studies in sociology at the Department of Law, Economics, and Social Studies and theological studies at the Theological Faculty. At the same time he prepared his doctoral dissertation, in French, on "Ontological distinction of substance and knowledge of God as per St. Maximus the Confessor."

While pursuing his education, Vasilios entered the Holy Orders when he was ordained a deacon at the Apostle Barnabas Monastery in 1970. Dn. Vasilios served as deacon at the Zoodochos Pigi Academias Church and the Metropolitan Church of Athens while attending the Theological Faculty in Athens from 1974 to 1978. He also served as deacon at the Orthodox Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Geneva while he pursued his post-graduate studies in Switzerland.

In 1981, Dn. Vasilios was ordained a priest in Cyprus, raised to the dignity of archimandrite, and then returned to Switzerland where he was the rector of the Hellenic Orthodox parish in Geneva. From 1982 to 1991, Fr. Vasilios was the administrator of the Bishopric of Geneva.

Returning to Cyprus in 1991, Fr. Vasilios was assigned manager of the Office of Inter-church Relations of the Church of Cyprus and appointed rector of Ayia Phaneromeni Church in Nicosia.

On February 7, 1996, Archim. Vasilios was elected Bishop of Trimithounta by the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus. He was consecrated on April 28, 1996. On May 11, 2007, Bp. Vasilios was elected Bishop of Constantia and Ammochostos and enthroned on May 12 at the temporary residence of the bishopric in Paralimni.

He has been the representative of the Church of Cyprus in the theological dialogues between Orthodox and Roman-Catholic Churches and between Orthodox and Anglican Churches.